"BRISBANE" a Brisbane Travel Page by pedroswift

"I've been a prisoner at Port Macquarie, at Norfolk Island and Emu Plains,
At Castle Hill and at cursed Toongabbie, at all those settlements I've worked in chains;
but of all places of condemnation and penal stations of New South Wales.
To Moreton Bay I've found no equal: excessive tyranny each day prevails!"
social commentary from prisoner during the penal colony days.

Brisbane is built on the Brisbane River which flows into Moreton Bay. Moreton Bay was named by Captain James Cook in 1770. It was not until 1823 that the River was discovered by Europeans ( shipwrecked convicts).
The settlement (Moreton Bay Penal Settlement) eventually to be known as Brisbane began at Humpybong on the Redcliffe Peninsular in 1824. Lack of fresh water soon resulted in relocation to 'Meeaan-jin' (Turrbal name for Brisbane), The Turrbal being the traditional owners of the site upon which Brisbane was eventually built.
more history
Derivation of name- "Brisbane"
Brisbane, capital city of the state of Queensland, was named after Sir Thomas MacDougall Brisbane 1773-1860, Governor of New South Wales 1820-25.
By the way, Queensland legally separated from New South Wales on June 6, 1859 ...but it was not until December 10, 1959 that Queensland's first Governor, Sir George Ferguson Bowen, officially proclaimed Queensland to be a separate colony from New South Wales.
June 6 is now celebrated by Queenslanders as the day acknowledging the birth of Queensland. Have you worked it out? 150 years old!

For me, Brisbane is "Home; Sweet Home". Sub-Tropical and green....not the dark greens and the bright greens of early leaf budding of Northern Europe. Here it's the olive drab greens of the black wattle and the gum trees ...but lots of it where I live. "Where's the river in the photo above?" you ask. It's behind the trees 1km away - the South Pine (not the Brisbane River). I'm northern suburbs born & bred.
If Al Gore is right & sea level rises, my house will eventually be "absolute water frontage" thanks to the Pine River. Hope he is wrong!
Will global warning change the green outlook? Brisbane is currently (Jan 09) suffering from reduced water reserves. Not unexpected in the driest inhabited continent in the world.
Visiting Brisbane? How long before you are asked to bring your own water?? Stage 6 Restrictions on water use have been implemented. Businesses (hotels etc) are asked to remind customers to conserve water.
We are still on water restrictions but supply dams have received a nett gain in water stored over this Spring for the first time in eight years. Reserves of stored water are just under 50% total capacity. A plan to pump recycled sewerage water into the dams has been shelved. Early April 2009: late summer rains have enhanced water storage levels....some restrictions removed!
Easter 2009: heavy rains get dam storage level up to 58 percent capacity. Government will declare "drought over" when they reach 60%.
Late may 2009: Some of the biggest falls of rain in a couple of days for one hundred years ( eg 558mm or 22 inches in the old terms) has increased dam capacity to 73%. The worst drought in SE Qld this century is officially over!!!!!

What's the climate like. ...In a nutshell - warm. Some would say bloody hot in Jan/Feb with unbearable humidity. Typical day is 31º C : Humidity 70%. Muggy!
If you don't have to visit then, pick late March to November to visit....you won't regret it.
If you do turn up & it's hot & you need a swim to cool off
Today's Weather (current & forecast) for Queensland, Australia and the world

Some Local Customs of interest

DRIVING
Driving around Brisbane is a nightmare at the moment. There are road building projects every where. It's catch up time for infrastructure sadly neglected despite Brisbane being the fastest growing capital city in Australia.
Be patient if you must drive. Please don't end up as a patient in the local hospitals! The hospitals have to catch up as well!!

If I had to recommend a unique food for Brisbane & SE Queensland I'd select Moreton Bay Bugs. Moreton Bay is at our doorstep to the east. The bugs are funny looking sea creatures with a flattish thorax and a lobster-like tail. Succulent tail meat is not unlike lobster. Try some before leaving Brisbane.
Although a tropical Queensland product, Barramundi is a fish worth trying while in the region. Ask for Australian wild or farmed product rather than SE Asian. "Barramundi" is an aboriginal word meaning "large scaled fish" originally given to the Saratoga or lung fish but stolen by marketing gurus to promote 'lates calcarifer'.
Macadamia Nuts are native to the region (Known as Queensland Nuts). Low in saturated fats they and the oil gathered from cold pressing are good for you. Try a macadamia slice with coffee.Try barramundi in a macadamia crust before you leave our region. Looking for unique gift from OZ: take home a bottle of macadamia oil.
Don't leave without trying a Four x beer. Brewed in Brisbane for real men and real gals.
Dining in Brisbane (or anywhere else in our great state of Queensland) : ask for a local wine.
Talking "local" products? Well not quite local but from Queensland. Don't leave town without trying Bundaberg Ginger Beer. (soft drink)Another iconic Queenland product from Bundaberg - Bundy Rum.

see more Qld sourced Fine Foods

More eating in Brisbane
In keeping with my stated philosophy on posting tips, most of my tips on my home city page are on restaurants although there are a couple of others on "customs" , "transport" & "warnings", for example, which I had not seen covered by other vt posters.

Further to the eating out tips, let me tell you that there are some very good Pub Grub eateries in Brisbane especially if you enjoy steak. Australians eat 34.5 kgs of steak per head of population per year. Australia is the worlds biggest exporter of steak. Is there any left for you and me? Too right there is!!
According to a mid 2008 reader survey conducted by a local newspaper, The Top Ten Steak Places in Brisbane (in alphabetical order): Breakfast Creek Hotel, Caxton Hotel (Petrie Tce.), Cha Cha Cha (city restaurant), Fiasco's @Morrison Hotel (Wooloongabba), Hog's Breath Cafe (Cleveland), Norman Hotel (Wooloongabba), Normanby Hotel (Red Hill), Pineapple Hotel (Kangaroo Point), Samford Hotel (Samford), Story Bridge Hotel (Kangaroo Point). You would be more than satisfied if you chose any of these places for a steak. I have eaten at 9 of them over the years. Cha Cha Cha most recently. It's probably the "best" (white tablecloths etc so not really pub grub) & prices are significantly higher than the others.
Note: Jan 2009. Visited Samford Pub for a steak. The 450 gram Rump met my requirements for taste and tenderness and met the medium-rare "done-ness" asked for.

VISITORS TO MY BACK YARD
(above left) As cuddly as a Koala and Flat out like a lizard drinking (click to enlarge).
See video of our most annoying visitor: Common Koel.
Spring time visitor from Asia. Has an annoyingly loud mating call that starts well before my preferred wake-up time. AHHHHHHHHH!!

VT Visitors to Brisbane Sep 2009. travelogue below.